The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-04-20

I
Ward Beecher, which he supplied to me-
tropolitan newspapers, contained some
valuable practical advice to parents, We
make the following extracts from it:
The practice of allowing children to
go out at night to End their own CON-
panions and their own places of amuse-
ment, may leave one in twenty unscathed
and without danger; but I think that
nineteen out Of twenty fall down wound
ed or destroyed.
There may be things that it is best
that you should do for your children.
though you would not do them for your
selves; but they ought not to go any
where at night, to see sights, or TO take
pleasure, unless you can go with them.
until they are grown to mans estate and
their habits are formed. And nothing
is more certain than that to grant the
child liberty to go outside of the paren-
tai roof and its restraints in the darkness
of night is bad, and only bad, and that
continually.
Do not suppose that child is hurt
only when he is broken down. It does
not require that child should be brok--
en- down to be made useless by his ex
posures to temptation. Iaver that there
are many things which no man can learn
without being damaged by them all his
life long. There are many thoughts
which ought never to find passage
through mans brain As an eel, IL he
were to wriggle across your carpet, would
leave slime which no brush could take
of, SO there are many things which no
person can know and ever recover from
the knowledge Of.
II / wanted to make the destruction Of
G child sure, would give him unwatch-
ed liberty after dark. You cannot do
a thing that will be SO nearly guaran-
tee OF child's damnation as to let him
have the liberty Of the streets at night.
do not believe in bringing up the
young to know life, as it is said. Ishould
just as soon think of bringing up child
by cutting some Of the cords of his body
and lacerating his nerves and scarringand
tattooing him and making an Indian of
him outright as an element of beauty.
as ]. should Of developing his manhood
by bringing him up to see life--to see its
abominable lusts, to see its hideous in
carnations OF wit, TO see its internal
wickedness, to see its extravagant and
degrading scenes, to see its miserable
carnalities, to SEQ its imaginations set on
fire Of hell, to see all these temptations
and decisions which lead to perdition.
Nobody gets over the sight Of these
things. They who see them always car
~ scars. They are burned. And though
they live, they live as men that have
been burned. The scar remains And
to let the young go out where evil APP
pears, where the frequenter Of dens Of
iniquity can come within their reach, to
let them go where the young gather to-
gether 10 cheer with bad wit, to let them
60 where they will be exposed to such
temptations-why, parent is insane that
will do it. TO say, "a child must be
hardened, he has to get tough somehow,
and you may as well put him in the vat
and let him tan''--is that family educa-
ton Is that christian nurture Is
that bringing child up in the nurture
and admonition Of the Lord ?
/ thank God for two things yes, for
thousand; but for two things among
many: First that was born and bred
in the country, of parents that gave me
asound constitution and noble example.
never can pay back what I got from
my parents. II were to raise a monu-
ment of gold higher than heaven IL would
be no expression Of the debt Of gratitude
which owe to them, for that which
they INCREASINGLY gave, by the heritage
of their body and the heritage Of their
souls, to me. And next to that am
thankful that was brought up in cir.
cumstances where never became ac-
quainted with wickedness, know
great deal about ii; for If hear man
say A, know the whole alphabet Of that
mans life, by which I can imagine all
the rest II see single limb, / have
the psychologists talent by which I know
the whole structure.
Bat / never became acquainted with
wickedness when was young, by COM
| ing in contact with it, Inever was sui
lied IN act. nor in thought, nor in feel
ing, when was young. I grew up as
pure as woman. And cannot express
to God the thapks which owe to my
mother. and to my father, and to the
great household Of sisters and brothers
among whom lived. And the second
airy knowledge of these wicked things,
which have gained in later life in q
professional way, gained under such
guards as was not harmful to me.
To all husbands and wives whom these
written words may reach, say, If you
have children, bring them up purely.
Bring them up with sensitive delicacy.
Bring them up so that they shall not
know the wickedness that is known, un.
fortunately, by the greater number Of
men.
And il there are children that are some
times impatient of parental restraint. let
me say to them, you do not know what
temptation you are under, and If held
back by your mother, if held back by
| your father, you shall escape the knowI-
edge Of the wickedness that is in the
world, you will have occasion. by and
by, to thank God for that, more than for
silver or for gold or for houses or for